Local artists on display
UVM Medical Center in Burlington, VT, is showing 19 paintings from the “Hello Earth” series by local artist Bette Ann Libby. They were created on up-cycled banners with discarded house paint.
The paintings are displayed along the “Blue Corridor” through January 20, 2026. The exhibition is made possible by Burlington City Arts, Kate Ashman curator.
Libby is the organizer of “Banners on Bridge Street” which exhibited eight double-sided paintings this summer and fall.
Featured artists included Katie Babic, John Anderson, Tommy O’Grady, Gary Eckhart, Loida Alvarez, Laurie Sigmund, Julia Purinton, Beth Kendrick and Bette Ann Libby.
Local residents named to state boards
Governor Phil Scott’s office has appointed several local folks to state boards and commissions recently. Misty Sinsigalli, Moretown, was named to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Pam Chisholm, Duxbury, was named to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
The Governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the Governor’s website at https://governor.vermont.gov/boards-commissions to apply.
MRVHC sponsors vaccine clinic
The Mad River Valley Health Center board of directors will sponsor a vaccination clinic on November 1 in collaboration with Waterbury Shaw’s Pharmacy. The flu and COVID vaccine clinic takes place at the Waitsfield United Church of Christ from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Vaccines will be available for those 3 years of age and older.
Those with Medicare and Medicaid are eligible to be vaccinated at the clinic but must be 19 or older for this clinic. Medicaid only covers the cost of vaccines for those 18 and younger when given in a provider’s office.
Advance registration is required and people need to bring insurance cards or other proof of insurance. Time slots will be offered in 15-minute increments and people are asked to come on time, understanding that there could be a short wait. Register at https://shaws.com/vaccinations/group-clinic/MadRiverVAX
Grant reopens for physical therapy
Physical therapist Joe Grant is reopening his Waitsfield offices for physical therapy. Grant, who ran Back to Action Physical Therapy at 4740 Main Street in Waitsfield for 15 years, is returning to practice at that location. In 2014 Central Vermont Medical Center opened and ran a physical therapy practice in that location until this spring.
Grant, who specializes in post-injury rehab, athletic performance, injury prevention and restoring postural alignment and muscle balance, is available by appointment and can be reached at
Joslin Library hosts River Conservation in a Changing Climate
According to author John Seabrook, whose article, “The Floods Will Come,” (July 28, 2025 New Yorker), Washington County ranked first in disaster declarations between 2011 and 2024 (mainly flood-related) and Vermont’s annual precipitation has increased six inches since the 1960s. Given this, Seabrook foresees Vermont as a perfect laboratory for the study of intense rainfall on steep terrain and a proving ground for scientists, policy makers, regulators, and land use planners who are on the front lines of a recurring catastrophe that traditional methods of flood prevention – dredging the river’s bottom, armoring its sides, berming its banks – have only made worse.
All are welcome to join Vermont river scientist, Mike Kline,at the Joslin Memorial Library, on Monday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m. for a conversation on how a deepening understanding of rivers that function well has led to a new era of river corridor and flood plain conservation to slow the flow of flood waters. When natural watersheds are functioning to store water, there is less flood damage, cleaner water, and healthier aquatic ecosystems.
Kline worked for three decades with the Watershed Management and Water Quality Divisions of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, where he managed the Rivers Program and served as the State River Ecologist. More recently, Kline has provided consultation on river and flood plain science and policy.
